﻿INJURIOUS 
  HABITS. 
  13 
  

  

  prairie 
  dog 
  ' 
  town 
  ' 
  is 
  usually 
  cropped 
  very 
  short, 
  and 
  all 
  tall 
  -growing 
  

   weeds 
  are 
  cut 
  down. 
  Sometimes 
  a 
  weed 
  is 
  permitted 
  to 
  grow 
  to 
  

   maturity 
  on 
  the 
  cone-like 
  mound 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  a 
  burrow. 
  Only 
  

   three 
  species 
  of 
  weeds 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  so 
  growing 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  — 
  the 
  

   horse 
  nettle 
  {Solarium 
  rostratum), 
  the 
  Mexican 
  poppy 
  ( 
  Argemone) 
  , 
  

   and 
  a 
  Euphorbia 
  (Euphorbia 
  marginata) 
  . 
  These 
  afford 
  shade 
  to 
  the 
  

   animals, 
  but 
  do 
  not 
  obstruct 
  the 
  view. 
  All 
  other 
  weeds, 
  and 
  even 
  

   cultivated 
  crops, 
  are 
  cut 
  down 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  unseen 
  approach 
  of 
  an 
  

   enemy. 
  When 
  the 
  cultivated 
  crop 
  is 
  some 
  rapid-growing 
  or 
  dense 
  

   one 
  which 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  clear 
  away, 
  they 
  abandon 
  the 
  land 
  rather 
  than 
  

   stay 
  to 
  be 
  devoured. 
  

  

  But 
  clearing 
  the 
  prairie-dog 
  town 
  of 
  weeds 
  is 
  not 
  sufficient 
  to 
  baffle 
  

   the 
  coyote. 
  In 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  hiding 
  places 
  he 
  takes 
  to 
  new 
  methods 
  

   of 
  hunting. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Gaut, 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  records 
  his 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  in 
  a 
  prairie-dog 
  town 
  in 
  New 
  Mexico 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  coyote 
  started 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  and 
  ran 
  at 
  lightning 
  speed 
  in 
  a 
  

   straight 
  line 
  until 
  he 
  cut 
  off 
  one 
  from 
  its 
  burrow. 
  When 
  the 
  prairie 
  dog 
  saw 
  

   that 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  get 
  to 
  its 
  hole, 
  it 
  stopped 
  and 
  began 
  to 
  kick 
  until 
  the 
  coyote 
  

   caught 
  it 
  and 
  killed 
  it 
  in 
  very 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  that 
  a 
  dog 
  kills 
  a 
  rat. 
  

  

  Besides 
  rabbits 
  and 
  prairie 
  dogs, 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  coyote 
  is 
  known 
  

   to 
  include 
  the 
  following 
  mammals 
  : 
  

  

  Rice 
  rats 
  (Oryzomys), 
  kangaroo. 
  rats 
  (Dipodomys 
  and 
  Perodipus) 
  , 
  

   wood 
  rats 
  (Ncotoma) 
  , 
  ground 
  squirrels 
  (Ammosperrrbophilus, 
  Callo- 
  

   spermopkilus, 
  and 
  Spermophilus) 
  , 
  woodchucks 
  (Marmota), 
  voles 
  

   (Microtus), 
  pocket 
  gophers 
  (Thomomys) 
  , 
  chipmunks 
  (Eutamias), 
  

   and 
  pocket 
  mice 
  (Perognathus) 
  . 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  harm- 
  

   ful, 
  and 
  the 
  coyote 
  performs 
  an 
  important 
  service 
  in 
  preying 
  upon 
  

   them. 
  The 
  service 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  occasional 
  or 
  a 
  spasmodic 
  one, 
  but 
  lasts 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  throughout 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  coyote. 
  When 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  animals 
  taking 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  considered, 
  the 
  

   enormous 
  importance 
  of 
  its 
  bearing 
  in 
  maintaining 
  the 
  ' 
  balance 
  of 
  

   nature 
  ' 
  becomes 
  apparent. 
  

  

  The 
  coyote 
  is 
  useful 
  also 
  as 
  a 
  scavenger. 
  In 
  the 
  prairie 
  country, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  winter, 
  it 
  comes 
  into 
  towns 
  at 
  night 
  searching 
  for 
  garb- 
  

   age 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  alleys. 
  Here 
  it 
  finds 
  remnants 
  of 
  meat 
  from 
  the 
  

   table, 
  offal 
  from 
  game, 
  and 
  similar 
  prizes. 
  When 
  hungry 
  it 
  will 
  

   reject 
  no 
  animal 
  food, 
  not 
  even 
  carrion. 
  The 
  slaughterhouses 
  near 
  

   the 
  towns 
  are 
  favorite 
  feeding 
  places, 
  and 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  often 
  shot 
  

   there 
  by 
  moonlight. 
  On 
  the 
  ranges 
  they 
  soon 
  consume 
  dead 
  horses 
  

   and 
  cattle, 
  leaving 
  the 
  bones 
  clean. 
  

  

  INJURIOUS 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  Coyotes 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  capture 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  animals 
  

   that 
  assist 
  man 
  in 
  his 
  warfare 
  against 
  insects 
  and 
  rodent 
  pests. 
  

  

  